Miners' Compensation

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received on the operation of miners' compensation schemes in Wales.

Nick Ainger: Chair regular meetings of the Wales Monitoring Group, which meets to discuss progress and the operation of the miners compensation schemes in Wales. The group last met on 6 February 2006. We are continuing to make good progress in settling claims and to date, over £570 million has been paid to former Welsh miners and their families.

World Heritage Sites

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which minister in his Department has responsibility for issues relating to world heritage sites.

Peter Hain: Lead responsibility for policy on world heritage sites rests with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Tessa Jowell). The Department for Culture, Media and Sport works closely with relevant Government Departments on all issues affecting world heritage sites. Within the Wales Office, I have responsibility for issues concerning world heritage sites.

Afghanistan/Iraq

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the value of UK development aid to (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq was in each of the last four years, broken down by sector.

Hilary Benn: Since April 2002, DFID's assistance to Iraq, in cash terms to date, has been as follows (in millions):
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Sector 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 Humanitarian Emergency (UN 2003 Appeals and International Red Cross) 8.4 94.2 10 4.3 
			 Infrastructure (Reconstruction in Southern Iraq) — 16.9 16.7 32.6 
			 Governance (Support to Government, Justice, Media and Civil Society) — 0.2 9.8 8.3 
			 Economic Reform Refund of unspent DFID contribution to the World Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC) — 8.8 1.7 2.8 -4.5 
			 DFID Secondments, and Assistance to the Coalition Provisional Authority — 14.8 9.4 0.1 
			 Trust Fund—International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI) — 70  — 
			 NGO Assistance 10.4 5.1 1.7 0.4 
			 Totals 18.8 210 49.3 44 
		
	
	DFID's current programme in southern Iraq includes:
	£40 million for infrastructure to deliver improved power and water services
	£20.5 million to build the institutional capacity of the four southern governorates and to support private sector development
	£7.4 million for a team of technical specialists to advise local councils, the military and other donors on infrastructure reconstruction
	£6.7 million to strengthen independent radio and TV broadcasting
	£16 million for emergency infrastructure, working closely with UK military
	In central Iraq, we have allocated:
	£13 million to assist the Iraqi Government on economic reform issues
	£13.25 million to build the capacity of key central government offices, including the Prime Minister's office, to manage government business effectively
	£5 million Civil Society Fund to support the development of legitimate and representative Iraqi NGOs
	£7.5 million Political Participation Fund, to encourage poor and marginalized sections of Iraqi society to engage in the political process
	£2.3 million to support the justice sector
	We also work through the international system, as a member of the donor core group, and as a contributor to the United Nations and World Bank Trust Funds for Iraq (£70 million contributed in 2004). DFID is working with the Iraqi Government, multilaterals, and other donors to achieve a more coordinated and Iraqi-led reconstruction and development effort.
	The following table shows total bilateral development aid provided to Afghanistan by the UK Government broken down by sector in each of the last four years (in millions):
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Sector 2002–03(1) 2003–04(1) 2004–05(1) 2005–06(2) 
		
		
			 Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund 15 30 55 35 
			 Public Administration Reform and Economic Management 1.3 24 3.8 12.2 
			 Private Sector — 0.3 1.6 2.5 
			 Livelihoods 0.3 6.3 7.8 47.5 
			 Political process and Security Sector Reform 0.5 9.2 5 5.2 
			 Arrears clearance 12.7 0 0 0 
			 Humanitarian 44.5 10 6.3 0 
			 Total 74.3 79.8 79.4 102.4 
		
	
	(1) Actual
	(2) Forecast
	Further details of both programmes will be found on our website at www.dfid.gov.uk

Parking and Travel Appeals Service

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the work of the Parking and Travel Appeals Service.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 21 March 2006
	I think the hon. Member may be referring to the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service (PATAS).
	PATAS provides the independent adjudication service for deciding disputed parking and bus lane penalties charged by London borough councils and Transport for London (TfL) and congestion charging penalties issued by TfL.
	PATAS has a team of Adjudicators who decide the appeals and can direct London Borough Councils and TfL to cancel Penalty Charge Notices. The adjudicators are independent solicitors or barristers of at least five years standing and their decisions are binding on both parties. They are appointed by the Association of London Government's Transport and Environment Committee ALGTEC who are also responsible for paying their salaries.

Vehicle Registrations

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motor vehicles are registered at 25 Duke Street, Chelmsford; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of vehicles registered at a specific address constitutes personal data and as such, cannot be released to anyone not legally entitled to receive it.

Coal-fired Power Stations

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of the UK's energy supply was derived from coal-fired power stations in each of the last 10 years.

Malcolm Wicks: The proportion of electricity supplied from coal in the United Kingdom in each of the last ten years is shown in the table. The table also shows the proportion of primary inland consumption of energy that was used in coal fired power stations.
	
		
			   Percentage 
			  Proportion of UK electricity supplied by coal Proportion of UK inland consumption of energy used in coal-fired power stations 
		
		
			 1996 40 15 
			 1997 33 12 
			 1998 33 13 
			 1999 28 11 
			 2000 31 12 
			 2001 33 13 
			 2002 32 13 
			 2003 35 14 
			 2004 33 13 
			 2005(7) 34 14 
		
	
	(7) The 2005 data are provisional
	Source:
	Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2005

Labour Statistics

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which 10 areas of employment he estimates to be most short of workers.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The National Employer Skills Survey (NESS), produced by the Learning and Skills Council, is based on interviews with 27,000 employers and is the most reliable source on worker shortages.
	Figures on total job vacancies by occupation can give a misleading picture—for employers within some occupations can fill their vacancies relatively easily. It is the vacancies which employers find hard to fill which reflect a shortage of workers. NESS figures on 'hard to fill vacancies' therefore give the clearest indication of occupations facing a shortage of workers.
	The most recent data is for 2004 and shows that the occupations with the most 'hard to fill' job vacancies as a percentage of employment were as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 Personal Service 2.5 
			 Associate Professionals 1.8 
			 Skilled Trades 1.8 
			 Transport and machine operatives 1.5 
			 Elementary Occupations 1.3 
			 Sales and Customer Service 0.8 
			 Professionals 0.5 
			 Administrative and Secretarial 0.5 
			 Managers and senior officials 0.3

Business Education

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to improve and expand business education in universities in the North East.

Bill Rammell: The Department works mainly through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to deliver business education provision via higher education institutions in England. The following are just some examples of the steps my Department is taking to support business education in universities in the North East.
	Preparing students for business through business education.
	'Professional and other business services1 was identified as a priority at level 4 in the North East skills action plan, so HEFCE were keen to ensure this subject area received additional student numbers (ASNs) from the managed growth allocation last year. They were identified as one of HEFCE's priorities in the selection process, and in the end they allocated 388 full-time equivalents (25 percent.of the total North East allocation) to business related subjects.
	Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the North East are committed to business and management, not least because leadership has been identified as a key contributor to the economic future of the region. For example, the University of Northumbria is in the midst of expanding its business school in the centre of Newcastle. The school (together with law and design) will be moved into new high profile, high spec premises as part of a strategy to ensure these three key schools gain synergies from closer working through co-location. There are other campus developments across the region that may not directly improve the infrastructure of business studies, but will improve the facilities for business to interact with the university.
	More generally, HEFCE have encouraged institutions to think about getting students ready for business through their HEROBC and HEIF funding. Over the years these funding streams have provided placements, developed employability skills, encouraged graduate entrepreneurship, facilitated spin offs, established incubator space and created real links between business and students. Between August 2006 and July 2008, over £9.4 million will go into the North East in HEIF III funding through the core institutional allocations.
	Reaching out to business through business education
	This is slightly different, as business is the end user. HEFCE have targeted investment in this area through HEROBC and HEIF. The HE business and community interaction survey (http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_46/) provides a good breakdown of where the funding has been used in the past, for example to increase the amount of continuing professional development (CPD) and short courses run businesses.
	The North East Higher Skills Network (NEHSN)—the region-wide Lifelong Learning Network— will also impact on this in the future as it will aim to increase the skills levels of those at work in the North East in three key employment sectors (manufacturing, health and business). The region successfully bid for £5.5 million last year to establish the NEHSN, and we hope to see activity take over the next year. The network will encourage progression for employees from vocational backgrounds and provide information, advice and guidance on how their careers could be enhanced through further study. It will also create links with employers and Sectors Skills Councils (SSCs) to ensure qualifications are fit for purpose and meet the needs of business. We expect the network to look at ways of accrediting work based learning and also interact with Train to Gain, Business Links and other regional business service providers.
	Through previous HEIF rounds, a number of specific employer related initiatives have been established. There is a region wide New Technology Institute that is now funded by the RDA, but which came from a HEFCE funded imitative from 2001. Knowledge House has received several years of funding through HEIF competitions and is a gateway for business as well as research consultancy. More recently two Centres for Knowledge Exchange in the region have been funded.
	Sunderland (Global Automotive Technology Exchange —GATE) was established to identify emerging technologies in the automotive sector and develop exploitation routes for the benefit of UK manufacturing industry, involves transferring existing technology from the UK HEI partners to industry, developing technology with industrial partners and promoting these via the GATE partnership. GATE has been successful in supporting joint R and D projects and encouraging academics to become more proactive in seeking out and servicing the requirements in industry (significant rise in the numbers of academics and students engaging in technology transfer). Teesside—Digital Knowledge Exchange (DKE) has helped to develop advanced services in digital media. It has helped Teesside to create a core team of experienced developers, researchers and business people able to respond rapidly to the needs of digital sector. The team also acts as a focus for further activity drawing on additional help from external research teams, academics, graduates, students and partner bodies.

Post-Graduate Certificate in Education

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the inclusion of Post-Graduate Certificate in Education students within the university fees regime will operate; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: From 2006 universities and colleges will be able to charge new students tuition fees which can vary between 0 and £3,000. This will replace the current flat rate fixed fee which is currently set at £1,175. The new higher variable fee applies to all students starting teacher training courses in 2006, including those starting a Post-Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) course. Universities charging the maximum fee will be required to offer bursaries to the poorest students. Students are not required to pay the fees up front and like all other new students, PGCE students are able to apply for a loan for the cost of the fees. The loans are repayable once a student has finished their course and is earning £15,000 or more.
	Training bursaries for PGCE students have been increased for 2006/06, with £9,000 available for those training in a priority subject. Eligible low income PGCE students also receive a new maintenance grant of at least £1,200 and up to £2,700, depending upon an income assessment.

Office Equipment

Michael Weir: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) personal computers, (b) laptops, (c) servers, (d) printers, (e) scanners, (f) photocopiers and (g) fax machines (i) his Department, (ii) each (A) non-departmental public body, (B) executive agency and (C) other public body for which his Department is responsible in (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, (3) each English region and (4) Northern Ireland owned in (x) 2003–04 and (y) 2004–05.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not held centrally; and could be provide only at disproportionate cost.

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much of the agreed efficiency target for his Office set out in the 2004 Spending Review is to be cashable; and under what budget headings these cashable efficiency savings will be re-spent.

Phil Woolas: The Spending Review 2004 set the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister a target to achieve at least £620 million in annual efficiency gains by 2007–08. At least two thirds of these must be cash-releasing. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's proposed gains by workstream, and the proportion that are cashable are set out in the following table, as stated in our Efficiency Technical Note in December 2005:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 ODPM (Central) Efficiency proposals, 2007–08 All Cash releasing 
		
		
			 Administration 25 25 
			 Regional Development Agencies 120 120 
			 Social Housing: New Supply 160 160 
			 Social Housing: Registered Social Landlord spend on capital works, management and maintenance, and commodities 195 0 
			 Fire Modernisation 105 105 
			 Firelink 10 10 
			 Homelessness 125 125 
			 Total 740 485 
		
	
	Funds will be reinvested in the programme areas from which they are saved.

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what baseline figures he is using for assessing progress on his Department's targets to (a) improve social housing procurement methods, (b) realise efficiencies in the registered social landlord sector on capital works, management and maintenance and commodities, (c) deliver efficiency gains in regional development agencies and (d) continue the modernisation of the fire and rescue service; what progress has been made towards these targets to date; and what the total efficiency savings achieved to date are for these targets.

Phil Woolas: The overall target for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minster central efficiency programme is at least £620 million by the end of 2007–08. The programme includes efficiency gains by registered social landlords (RSLs) (but not by local housing authorities). The 2004–05 baselines against which efficiency gains are being measured, savings to date and targets for the relevant heading are as follows:
	
		
			£ million 
			  Baseline Savings to date Target 
		
		
			 RSL Capital Works 800 64.4 60 
			 RSL Management and Maintenance 1500 74.6 80 
			 RSL Commodities 300 11.5 55 
			 Regional Development Agencies 1552 28 120 
			 Fire Modernisation 2040 38 105 
		
	
	The savings have not yet been fully validated.
	Efficiency gains from RSL social housing procurement are not measured separately but are included as appropriate under capital works, management and maintenance, and commodities.

Unitary Authorities

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what studies his Department has evaluated on the performance of unitary authorities.

Phil Woolas: None. However the Comprehensive Performance Assessment and Best Value Performance Indicator performance data prepared by the Audit Commission shows such information by type of local authority.

Ministerial Travel

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to purchase an aircraft for the dedicated use of the Prime Minister; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: In December 2004 my right hon. Friend, the then Minister for the Cabinet Office, (Mr. Miliband) announced an independent review of royal family and ministerial air travel to be led by Sir. Peter Gershon. When Sir. Peter submits his findings the Government will give them careful consideration.

St. Helena

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent to protect endangered species on St. Helena and the surrounding British islands for each of the last seven years.

Douglas Alexander: Since 2004, St. Helena and her dependencies have received environmental funding from the joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office/Department for International Development Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP) as follows.
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2005–06 437,000 
			 2004–05 207,090 
		
	
	In addition, Ascension Island received £500,000 for a seabird restoration project in 2003–04 funded through the Environmental Fund for the Overseas Territories, the precursor to OTEP.
	Figures for 1999 to 2002 are not centrally held. To obtain them would incur
	disproportionate costs.

Organic Entry Level Scheme

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers in Lancashire have been registered under the Organic Entry Level Scheme.

Jim Knight: given to my hon. Friend the Member for West Lancashire (Rosie Cooper) on 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 273W. Records, as at 22 March 2006, show that 14 applications have been received by the Rural Development Service (RDS) in Lancashire and that six of these have generated a live agreement.

Dentistry

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients were registered with NHS general dental practitioners in the York and Selby primary care trust area in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		General dental services (CDS) and personal dental services (PDS): Number of national health service patients registered with an NHS dentist in Selby and York primary care trust as at 30 September in each specified year
		
			  Number of registered patients 
		
		
			 1997 153,505 
			 1998 142,221 
			 1999 141,156 
			 2000 151,381 
			 2001 151,157 
			 2002 151,677 
			 2003 171,667 
			 2004 129,247 
			 2005 146,405 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. PDS schemes have varying registration periods. To ensure comparability with corresponding GDS data, PDS registrations are estimated using proxy registrations, namely the number of patients seen by PDS practices in the past 15 months. There will be a break in the registrations series at the point at which PDS schemes were introduced as the proxy registrations build up. Falls in registration rates will be particularly pronounced in the financial year 2004–05, when the majority of PDS schemes were introduced.
	2. Data for 2003 and earlier do not include those PDS schemes that do not have any registrations, for example, dental access centres, and is therefore not directly comparable with 2004 and 2005 data.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Leukaemia Specialists

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many leukaemia specialists are employed by the NHS in (a) Shropshire and (b) Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The table shows medical consultants in the main cancer specialties within Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority (SHA) by organisation.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services: Medical consultants in the main cancer specialties within Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA by organisation (England) at 30 September 2004
		
			 Numbers (headcount) 
			  Of which: 
			  All cancer specialties Clinical oncology Clinical radiology Haematology Histopathology 
		
		
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA 99 9 52 10 28 
			 Burton Hospitals National Health Service Trust 10 — 5 1 4 
			 Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust 12 — 6 2 4 
			 Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust 6 — 4 — 2 
			 Shrewsbury and Telford 32 4 16 3 9 
			 University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust 39 5 21 4 9 
		
	
	Source: NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre, Medical and Dental Workforce Census

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the resources available to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to inspect wholesaler dealers' licences.

Jane Kennedy: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the government body responsible for the safety and licensing of medicines in the United Kingdom, employs six full time good distribution practice inspectors. These inspectors inspect the facilities of licensed wholesale dealers of medicines for human use to confirm compliance with the European Commission's guideline on good distribution practice and UK medicines regulations.
	This level of resource is sufficient to maintain a regular and repeated inspection programme, of the distribution sites of licensed wholesale dealers.

Private Finance Initiative

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2005, Official Report, column 989W, on the private finance initiative (PFI), if she will list the PFI schemes which (a) had not made unitary payments as at the end of 2003–04 and (b) began unitary repayments in financial year (i) 2004–05 and (ii) 2005–06; what unitary payments have been made by each trust in each year; and what future payments are expected to be made by each trust.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member for Eddisbury to the answer I gave on 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1855W, which stated that a detailed list of unitary payment for schemes which have reached financial close had been placed in the Library.
	The unitary charge columns shows which schemes had commenced payments in each of the given financial years.

Pharmaceutical Industry

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is the policy of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency that any form of misconduct or non-compliance within a pharmaceutical company which significantly impacts on patient safety is an example of an expeditable safety concern, with reference to 'notification of safety concerns' as described in the draft of Volume 9A, updated to take account of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 and Directive 2004/27/EC.

Jane Kennedy: Pharmaceutical companies as marketing authorisation holders have a legal duty to report to Competent Authorities, in the United Kingdom, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, any information impacting on the benefits and risks of a medicinal product for which they hold an authorisation. If misconduct or non-compliance with the legislation impacted on the risks and benefits of a medicinal product and was not reported, then a criminal offence may have been committed.
	The revised draft Volume 9A of the Rules Governing Medicinal Products for Human Use—Guidelines on Pharmacovigilance for Medicinal Products for Human Use" does not specify that misconduct or non-compliance within a pharmaceutical company is an expeditable safety concern.

Vaccines

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there are circumstances in which she would ask both the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to appraise the use of a particular vaccine by the NHS.

Caroline Flint: Both the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation (JCVI) and the national institute for health and clinical excellence (NICE) may be involved in the consideration of a particular vaccine where the vaccine has had significant impact on national health service services. An example would be human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines which are in development and showing promise in protecting against cervical cancer. JCVI is considering these vaccines within its remit of providing advice on immunisation issues to health Ministers; NICE is considering their advice on the provision of cervical screening services should HPV vaccines be introduced.

Vaccines

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what obligations the NHS is under to use vaccines recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation; and under what circumstances guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommending the use of a particular vaccine would not be binding on the NHS.

Caroline Flint: The joint committee on vaccination and immunisation (JCVI) is an advisory committee, and it is for health Ministers to consider the acceptance and implementation of such advice. Hence advice for JCVI per se is not binding on the national health service.

Vaccines

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what form guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation takes in respect of advice on the use or otherwise of a particular vaccine by the NHS.

Caroline Flint: The joint committee for vaccination and immunisation (JCVI) provides advice to Ministers on all issues related to vaccination and immunisation. In carrying out this function, JCVI considers scientific and medical evidence on specific vaccines and makes recommendations accordingly. This is because the safety profile and efficacy of similar vaccines can vary.
	The Department purchases vaccines, following the advice from JCVI, and supplies them to the national health service.

Antisocial Behaviour

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was raised by local authorities in fines for antisocial behaviour in each year for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	The total local authority fixed penalty revenue is:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Litter Dog fouling Noise Graffiti Fly-posting 
		
		
			 1997–98 16505 7010 0 n/a n/a 
			 1998–99 63240 29012.50 0 n/a n/a 
			 1999–2000 39075 32637.50 0 n/a n/a 
			 2000–01 28470 41386 0 n/a n/a 
			 2001–02 138840.20 51037 (22)— n/a n/a 
			 2002–03 231547.11 69484 (22)— n/a n/a 
			 2003–04 193438 102325 (22)— n/a n/a 
			 2004–05 301535 62879 1693 293 1703 
		
	
	(22) No figures available.

Biometric Passports

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2006, Official Report, columns 2115–6W, on passport information sharing, what representations he has (a) made to and (b) received from (i) the European Union and (ii) European nation-states on the wholesale sharing of (A) biometric and (B) other details to be contained within biometric passports; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: I have made no representations to the European Union or European nation-states on the wholesale sharing of the details contained in UK passports, including the facial biometric, nor have I received any representations.

Carlile Inquiry

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will respond to the recommendations of Lord Carlile of Berriew's inquiry into the treatment of children in penal custody; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: My colleague, Baroness Scotland, is meeting Lord Carlile, on 29 March to discuss his report. The Home Office and the Youth Justice Board are looking at the recommendations in the report. We will announce in due course any action we propose to take in relation to them.

Sexual Offences Act

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) arrests and (b) successful prosecutions there have been under section 47 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available centrally. The information on arrests that is collected is based on persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) by main offence group only (i.e. sexual offences, violence against the person and burglary etc.) and therefore does not identify individual offences.
	Data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform shows that there have been no convictions in 2004 for offences relating to paying for sex with a child under section 47 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This Act came into force on 1 May 2004.